Mother Nature Network, Dec 15, 2011

Actor uses the oldest trick in the book to convince a rescue center official that he is the perfect match for the new pup.

When it comes to women, George Clooney is resigned to never settle down. When it comes to animals, however, the guy is about as loyal as they come.

From sharing a bed with his 300-pound pig “Max” for 16 years to enjoying the love of two bulldogs, the actor has always been close to his pets. In an article for Esquire, the 50-year-old reveals that he recently acquired a new companion named Einstein from an animal shelter.

“I was looking for a dog because I hadn’t had one for a while — and I wanted one that was house-trained. I’m just terrible at house-training dogs,” he writes. “So I go online and see Einstein. They had a whole film about him. It was actually really sweet. You see him all beat up and s*it in the shelter, and they show how they cleaned him up. God, I love this dog. So I called and said, ‘I like Einstein!'”

Unfortunately for Clooney, the staff at the shelter needed to test first whether or not the dog would enjoy the company of the actor. “We’ll bring him to your house, but if he doesn’t like you, he can’t stay,” the shelter rep said. “We have to have good homes for these dogs.”

Naturally, Clooney had a plan for making the introduction something of a joyous celebration.

“Okay,” he continues. “I have this really long driveway, and I open the gate for them, and I start to panic that Einstein is not going to like me. So I run into the kitchen, where I have these turkey meatballs, and I rub them all over my shoes.”

“This woman opens the door, and who knew Einstein was such a food whore on top of everything? He throws himself at my feet.”

“She says, ‘I’ve never seen him react like that, ever!’ And she left him with me on the spot. And forever, now, he just thinks of me as the guy with meatball feet. He loves me. I can do no wrong. He follows me everywhere.”

And they lived happily ever after.

With more than 4 million cats and dogs euthanized in U.S. shelters every year, it’s great to see Clooney promoting adoption.